200 AM is a bad time for maintenance

2:00 AM is a bad time for maintenance.

The zipper on my coat ate three strands this morning,

a sharp tug that felt like a final straw.

I’ve got the kitchen scissors, the ones that barely

cut through cardboard anymore.

I hack at the length until it’s even,

or even enough for someone who doesn't leave the house.

The dark clumps fall into the white sink bowl.

It looks like dead grass after a hard freeze.

I’m trying to cut the parts of me

that keep getting caught in things.